Hanoi

Understand

Invading forces from every direction agree: Hanoi makes a fine capital. It has held that title for more than a thousand years, through several invasions, occupations, restorations, and name changes. The Chinese conquered the imperial city of Đại La in 1408 and renamed it Tống Bình. Le Loi repelled the invaders in 1428 and applied the name of Lê Thái Tổ (黎太祖). For his efforts, he received the crown and a slew of legends about his heroic exploits, many centred around Hoan Kiem Lake. The Nguyen Dynasty gave the city its modern name of Ha Noi in 1831, but they had transferred power to Hue by then. Hue remained the capital until 1887, when the French made Hanoi the capital of all Indochina. It changed hands again in 1954, when it was ceded to Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh after almost a decade of fighting, and it became the capital of North Vietnam. Upon reunification in 1975, it assumed that title for the entire country. (See also: Indochina Wars). Hanoi retains much of its older colonial charm, despite the battles that have raged over it. Conflict had the effect of making it largely oblivious to modern architecture, and as a result, few buildings in the city center are higher than five stories. The Old Quarter, the area around and north of Hoan Kiem Lake, is second only to Hoi An for uninterrupted stretches of colonial and pre-colonial architecture, well-preserved on dense warrens of narrow, wonderfully atmospheric streets. The first Western-style universities in Vietnam were founded in Hanoi, and today, it is the leading centre of scientific study and research in the country. It trades the commercial boom and sprawl of Ho Chi Minh City in the south for a more understated charm, worth enjoying for an extra day or two; and with countless transport options and travel agents, it makes a perfect base for exploration of the North. As you walk along the street, you may find that people start talking to you. It is a cultural norm there to make conversation with strangers. They might ask you where you are from and other general questions. But if you are a man, be cautious if a comely young lady approaches you and initiates a conversation - she is likely after something. It may take a while to get used to such overt friendliness, but it is worth enjoying it for the cultural experience that travel permits.

Tourist Information Centre, Đinh Tiên Hoàng St. (just north of Hoan Kiem Lake), ☏ +84 24 3926-3366. Can provide a fairly useful map (bewilderingly, the blow-up of the old town is missing) and other English-language advice, as well as limited free Internet. (updat

Getting there

By plane

1 Nội Bài International Airport (HAN IATA) (35 km north of the city center), ☏ +84 1900 636535. You can transfer through Nội Bài to other international destinations without a visa as long as you do not leave the terminal. International flights use Terminal 2, opened in 2015 and modern and spacious. There is a shuttle bus between the domestic and international terminals, or it can be walked in about 15-20 minutes. As of March 2025, Terminal 2 is undergoing large-scale expansion works; construction is planned to be finished by December 2025. (updated Mar 2025) There are direct international flights from all major South East Asian capitals, most major Chinese, Taiwanese, South Korean and Japanese cities, and also from Bali, Sydney, Melbourne, Delhi, Mumbai, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Istanbul, Munich, Frankfurt, Milan, Paris, and London. No direct flights from North America for now – Ho Chi Minh City, Taipei, Seoul or Tokyo will usually be the most convenient interchange. Domestic flights, by Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo Airways and Vietjet Air, serve Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hue, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Can Tho, Vinh, Dien Bien Phu, and Phu Quoc island. Public and express buses depart from the arrivals level at the International Terminal, second road, at pillar 2 (turn left after exiting the terminal). From the Domestic Terminal they leave from between the Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air terminals.

By express bus — Bus 86 (45,000 dong) runs 06:20–22:00 every 25 min and takes 45 min. It takes the expressway non-stop to the Tay Ho area, continuing limited stop to the Long Bien bus station, near the Old Quarter, the Opera House, Melía Hotel and the railway station. Towards the airport, buses run 05:05-21:40 from a booth at the south end of the main railway station. By public bus – Bus 07 (8,000 dong) runs 05:00–22:00 every 15 min and takes 60-90 min. It crosses the Thang Long Bridge and goes to the Daewoo Hotel in the west of Hanoi, from where it is 1 hr on foot to the Old Quarter of Hanoi. You might have to walk about 1 km west of the airport to catch bus 07 if it does not leave in front of the terminal. By shuttle bus – (It is not clear if these are still running as of June 2022.) Hourly between the airport and the Vietnam Airlines Downtown Office, 25 Tràng Thi / 1 Quang Trung (a bit south of the old quarter but conveniently stocked with taxis and motorbike drivers), ☏ +84 24 3934-9660. Tickets at the airport are sold in the building in front of which the minibuses park, or you can give the fare directly to the driver. The cost is more for foreigner

Getting around

Getting around Hanoi can be a challenge: traffic slows to a crawl for most of the day, and the public transport system has not kept up with the city's explosive growth.

By train Metro Line 2A connects Cát Linh (west of the Old Quarter) to Yên Nghĩa in the southwestern suburbs. Metro Line 3 connects Cầu Giấy to Nhổn in the northwestern suburbs. The lines are not connected but this will change when the underground stretch between Cầu Giấy and Hanoi Station opens around 2027. Metro Line 2A is useful for getting to Vincom Mega Mall Royal City, one of Hanoi's largest shopping malls, which is within walking distance of Thượng Đình station. Tickets are distance-based, ranging from 8,000 to 15,000 VND. You can pay by tapping a contactless Mastercard or Visa on the fare gates, including those linked to Apple Pay and Google Pay. Daily and monthly tickets are available from ticket windows at all stations. Single journey tickets and reloadable smart cards are available from ticket machines at all stations.

By bus Scam-free, cheap but a bit difficult to comprehend at first, the buses in Hanoi are relatively fast, air-conditioned and surprisingly comfortable. Find you way:

Download the BusMap Hà Nội mobile app (Google Play, Apple Store) for directions and live time estimates (not very accurate). Pick up a physical map with printed bus lines at the Trang Tien street (the book street by the Opera house). Find your bus stop (there are usually blue signs) and wait for the bus to arrive. Go and sit in the bus, the bus assistant will come to you. Tickets range from 7,000 to 12,000 VND (the price is fixed and depends on the line). If necessary, they should have enough cash for change (but it might be better to avoid paying with larger bills). If you are unfamiliar with the city, make sure to inform the mostly helpful conductor where you want to get off. Or, use your phone's GPS and Google Maps to track your location. Keep in mind that traffic jams make schedules unreliable.

By taxi The easiest way to get around is by using the Grab app (Android, iOS). The English user interface makes navigation a cinch, fares are fixed and typically cheaper, and you can pay by cash or credit card.

By metered taxi Taxis proper are small cars seating 4 or larger cars seating 7. Within the city, three companies are generally reliable: CP Taxi and Hanoi Taxi are two brands of Taxi Group, in white cars, and Mai Linh are in green cars. Taxi Nội Bài specialise in airport transfers. Your hotel will call a reliable firm, and leave them in no doubt where they are supposed to be taking yo

See

Museums

Near the city center 1 Fine Arts Museum (Bảo Tàng Mỹ Thuật), 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc St (opposite Temple of Literature), ☏ +84 24 3733-2131. Daily 08:30-17:00. Only party-approved art is shown here with information in English and Vietnamese. On three floors of a colonial building, with another three galleries in the west wing. Pieces include soldiers on boats depicted on prehistoric bronze drums, Buddhist art, and revolutionary art of the 20th century wars. Also some interesting lacquer and silk paintings. Adult 40,000 dong. (updated Aug 2025) 2 Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum. Tu-Th 06:30–10:30 Sa Su 07:30-11:30. The city down south may have his name, but only Hanoi has the man himself, entombed in distinctly Lenin-esque fashion. Against his wishes, but that's how it goes. No talking, revealing clothing (shorts should be knee length and no exposed shoulders), or other signs of disrespect allowed while viewing; photos are allowed only from outside, in the grand Ba Dinh Square. Purses are allowed into the tomb, but expect them to be searched by several bored soldiers along the way. Left luggage is handled in a complicated scheme: there is an office near the street for large bags, with separate windows for Vietnamese and foreigners, and a further office for cameras, which will be transported to a third office right outside the exit of the mausoleum. Items checked in at the first office, however, will stay there. The mausoleum is closed for a couple months around the end of the year, when the body is taken abroad for maintenance. It is closed in the afternoons for maintenance. Free. (updated Aug 2025) 3 Hồ Chí Minh Museum, 19 Ngoc Ha St, Ba Dinh, ☏ +84 24 3846-3572, [email protected]. Daily 08:00-11:30, and Tu-Th Sa Su 14:00-16:00. This gleaming white museum and its gloriously ham-handed iconography is the perfect chaser to the solemnity of the mausoleum. The building, completed in 1990, is intended to evoke a white lotus. Some photos and old letters are on display on the second floor, but the main exhibition space is on the third floor. It includes cars crashing through walls to represent the chaos of post-war American capitalism, soldiers charging around with bombs that looked like electric plugs, a cave hideout re-imagined as the inside of Ho Chi Minh's brain, and several other postmodern confections integrated with the detailed main story of the man's life and his country's struggle. There are plenty of photographs, prison documents and newspaper cuttings tracing his life along the way. The tour ends with a burnt bridge signifying the separation of Vi

Do

Flavors of Hanoi, 25 Hang Be, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, ☏ +84 967 258 586, ✉ [email protected]. 09:00-21:00. A local foodie experiences provider, they offer personal street food tours to help visitors explore Hanoi’s Old Quarter and French Quarter through their taste buds.

Cinemas August Movie Theater (Rap Thang 8) (On Hang Bai St, 5 min away from Trang Tien Plaza and the commercial area, such as Pho Hue, Hai Ba Trung and Trang Tien St). Renovated into a Nightclub (updated Jul 2024) CGV Cinemas (formerly Megastar), 191 Ba Trieu (on the 6th floor of the Vincom City Towers). The movies are relatively new, perhaps one or two months later than in the US. The movies are not dubbed although there are subtitles so both non-Vietnamese speakers and locals can enjoy them. 70,000-115,000 dong for 2D movies depending on day and time. 90,000-230,000 dong for 3D movies. (updated Mar 2017)

Cooking classes EZ Cooking Class, 49 Lane, 49 Huynh Thuc Khang St. EDUMA, 94 Lane, 49 Lo Duc St. Hanoi Cooking Centre, 44 Chau Long St (close to Truc Bac lake), ☏ +84 24 3715-0088. Cooking school, retail outlet and beautiful courtyard cafe with an excellent menu of Asian and Western favourites. Hands-on cooking classes and short courses in a relaxed atmosphere. Hidden Hanoi, 137 Nghi Tam Rd (aka Duong An Duong Vuong), Tay Ho (on the bund road in the Tay Ho District), [email protected]. Hidden Hanoi runs walking tours and cooking classes. There are many options including the 1-hr walking tour of the local market, followed by the 3-hr cooking class. Cooking class menus change daily, and there are other walking tours available. They also run language classes, and there is a dance school in the same building. Vietnam Culinary School, [email protected]. Fully equipped facilities to learn Vietnamese cooking. A typical day will commence with a visit to the morning market accompanied by an instructor to select ingredients for your cooking lesson. The class will be followed by a meal in a restaurant sampling your own cooking as well as traditional Vietnamese dishes. Học Viện Ẩm Thực, 60 Tran Nhan Tong. (updated Jan 2018)

Pampering SF Salon and Spa, 30 Cua Dong, Hoan Kiem, ☏ +84 24 3926-2032. Nice, not too expensive spa with a range of services, including massages, manicures/pedicures, facials. They will pay for your one-way taxi fare to the spa. Friendly staff.

Rock climbing VietClimb, So 40 Ngo 76 An Duong, ☏ +84 914 548 903. Tu-Su 14:00-22:00. 200-m² climbing surface, a 50-m² café & terrace to chill out, and a climbing pro-shop. Also a great pl

Buy

Money ATMs are everywhere — see Money on Vietnam#Buy for general information. Money exchange can be done at jewellery shops, which usually offer better rates than banks. The most popular ones are located along Ha Trung Rd (5-min walk from Hoan Kiem Lake) and Hang Bac. Just walk into the shop and ask them if they change money. Ask 5 or more shops to see which one gives the best rate. Hotels also often provide currency exchange service, but at terrible rates. Don't exchange money with people in the street, as the risk of getting counterfeit notes from them is high.

Markets Chợ Hôm (The equivalent meaning in English would be "Evening Market"), Pho Hue. A huge range of goods, and famous for the fabric market on the second floor. There are many kiosks selling different types of fabrics ranging from cheap, affordable to best quality with a high price. When shopping, take your time and never rush into buying anything. Sellers often quote a very high price that you can bargain down considerably. (updated Jul 2024) 1 Chợ Đồng Xuân. Famous for being the market for wholesalers. They have school supplies, stuffed animals, clothing. It is quite an experience to spend some time in the market observing the sellers and buyers. (updated Apr 2025) Chợ Hàng Da. A 6-storey building to house the market is under construction. All the kiosks are now in the neighbouring area, either on Phùng Hưng (second-hand clothing), Đường Thành, or Lý Nam Đế Streets. Sell a huge range of goods including pets, groceries, prepared foods and fabrics. It is now mostly empty. (updated Aug 2018) Night Market. Weekends from 19:00. The major north-south street in the Old Quarter, from Hoàn Kiếm Lake almost to the train overpass, becomes a crowded walking street with everything from pirated DVDs to traditional ornaments. Prices are negotiable, but "foreigner pricing" is fairly common. Thankfully many shops nowadays offer fixed prices with big "no bargaining" signs.

Bookstores Bookworm Hanoi, 44 Chau Long (Hanoi Cooking Center), ☏ +84 24 3715-3711, +84 912 561 800. New and used books. Small Vietnamese bookstores (nhà sách) line Phố Đinh Lễ St, just south of the large post office east of Hoan Kiem Lake. Most of them stock a variety of bilingual dictionaries, but hardly any books in English. Among them, as of 2016, Nhà Sách Lam seemed to have the best selection of maps (both Hanoi City and Vietnam regional). Most of the numerous souvenir shops inside the Temple of Literature (see under Museums; admission fee needs to be paid to get in) also carry a selection of books about Vietnam in Engl

Eat

Hanoi's most famous (and prevalent) dish is phở soup: "phở gà" (chicken noodle soup), "phở bò" (beef noodle soup), or "phở chay" (tofu noodle soup). Another local specialty is bún chả, grilled fatty pork over a plate of white rice noodles and herbs with dipping sauce. There are hundreds of street restaurants in small kiosks on the sidewalk, with plastic tables and chairs on the pavement. Eating at these restaurants is a great way to experience the local food and culture. It is worth mentioning that food quality, freshness, and hygiene can vary greatly. On average, a bowl of noodle soup goes for 40-60,000 dong (June 2024) and market food stalls offer fruit portions, sausages, doughnuts and other foods. Check your change as a few vendors seem to forget to give it, and learn a little Vietnamese because vendors often will not speak any or much English (e.g. "bao nhiêu ?", meaning "how much?").

Exotic treats Next to Beijing, Hanoi is probably the second in the running to the world's exotic food paradise.

Snake Restaurants (about ten minutes across the river from the city centre, take Bus 10, 15 or 17 and get off at the large mall" just beyond Gia Lâm station, and walk 500 m down the road at the right of the mall). The suburb of Le Mat (aka Snake Village) has numerous restaurants specializing in cobra foodstuffs. Live cobras are stored on the premises much the same way one would find live lobsters at a Western seafood restaurant. If one orders cobra blood wine from the menu, the waiter will take a live cobra, kill it on the spot, drain the blood into a shot glass of rice wine and top it off with the cobra's still beating heart for you to gulp down. Not for animal lovers or the ecologically-minded. Cobras are not cheap, but one snake becomes a dozen unique dishes, and enough to share between 3-4 people. Rượu rắn is cobra steeped whole in rice wine – or, especially in tourist areas, perhaps a cheaper, non-poisonous snake with similar coloring whose body has been stretched to give it the expected shape. Carefully investigate customs restrictions before deciding to bring a few bottles home, as some of the snakes used are endangered species. A local delicacy in the Hanoi area is dog meat (thịt chó), which is especially popular in the winter. There are a number of dog restaurants in the Tay Ho district. Another exotic regional taste is cà cuống, an extract from the belostomatid or giant water bug. Just a few drops are added to noodles for the unique aroma. Boiled duck foetus eggs (trứng vịt lộn) are sold by pedlars almost everywhere. The experience consists o

Drink & nightlife

Bia hơi is abundant in the streets of the Old Quarter. At the crossing of Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen, commonly known as Beer Street, five separate venues fill up with travellers in the evenings. You can get more local atmosphere on some of the side streets. Hanoi is a lively city on the weekends, but the Old Quarter closes relatively early (at midnight) on weekdays, so you might want to start your night early. Other places outside the Old Quarter stay open later and vary in closing times. Local young people gather around the cathedral located in Ly Quoc Su to have lemon ice tea (tra chanh) and sunflower seeds in street bars. After dark it gets quite crowded. Sit on a plastic chair in front of one of the bia hoi (fresh beer) establishments which are invariably on the corners of many of Hanoi's Old Quarter streets. This preservative-free light beer is the perfect drink to sip as you watch the city's frenetic bustle. The beer costs less than 5,000 dong and gives you an excuse to relax and take photos of the passing local characters: should not be missed. In the Old Quarter, you will find that almost every corner is filled with stalls selling pho (Vietnamese noodle) and cafe (the name is not limited only to coffee, but also tea, sweets and grocery items, and even to pho). On Tô Tich, a small street connecting Hang Quat and Hang Gai, you can help yourself to a refreshing fruit milkshake (sinh tố) at one of the stalls.

Breweries If you are looking for something less watery than Bia Hoi, excellent freshly brewed Czech or German-style beer is available at several breweries, including: Hoa Vien (Czech), Goldmalt (Czech), Legend beer (German), with several branches around the city; prices are around 45,000-60,000 dong for 0.5 L. The craft beer revolution that's been simmering in Ho Chi Minh City since 2014 has been slow to reach Hanoi, but a few breweries are now coming online, although prices are higher still and 100,000 dong might not even get you 0.5 L.

Hoa Vien. (updated Jun 2015) Goldmalt. (updated Jun 2015) Legend Beer. (updated Jun 2015) Furbrew, 8b, Ngo 52 To Ngoc Van. 16:00-23:00. Danish-owned, Danish-style craft brewery. 80,000-100,000 dong/beer. (updated Feb 2017)

Bars Green Lake (Ho Guom Xanh), 32 Le Thai To. A crowded bar with weekly performances by popular local singers. A place for the definitive Vietnamese entertainment scene. Has a cover charge on the weekends. Seems to combine part live singing with drag performances and a host club. Mao's Red Lounge, 30 Ta Hien, Hoan Kiem (down the street from Tet and Cheeky Quarter). Small bu

Sleep

Beware if arriving at your hotel on a weekend. Some streets in the Old Quarter and lake side can get closed to cars, so your taxi or minivan might have to drop you off early, leaving you to walk a bit with all your luggage.

Budget See common scams; they're more prevalent at the budget end of the market, but no more in Hanoi than in other cities.

Old Quarter North of Hoan Kiem Lake The heart of the Old Quarter - potentially noisy and busy - but closest to the bars on Ma May and Ta Hien. Ta Hien is Hanoi's unofficial backpacker street, and there are numerous backpackers' hostels nearby to cater to that market.

Hotel du Centre Ville (formerly Hanoi Legend), No 47 Luong Ngoc Quyen St, Hoan Kiem (20 m from the corner of Bia Hoi), ☏ +84 24 3826-8459, [email protected]. Check-in: 08:00, check-out: 12:00. Central 3-star. The rooms are spacious, safe, and renovated. Some rooms have wardrobes. The floors are hard tiled and very clean. LCD TV and refrigerator. Also a heater/air conditioner (the hot water 24/7); ironing boards, hair-dryers; Wi-Fi throughout; free Internet computers in the lobby and a wonderful breakfast. Like most hotels in this area, they lock the doors late. The staff is very friendly. But for English (or French) and negotiating, you need to ask for Tuan: he is a floating manager who can be easily summoned and is a knowledgeable concierge. Booking in advance is advisable. Note two properties at this address, the other is very basic. USD12-25, breakfast included. (updated Dec 2018) Sweet Family Guesthouse, 14 Bat Su St, ☏ +84 24 3824-5732, [email protected]. A small hotel very popular with backpackers. Friendly and reliable staff. All rooms air-con with en suite toilet and shower. Has a sister establishment, Hanoi Guesthouse 2. B&B double USD 22. (updated Dec 2018) Hanoi Rendezvous Hotel, 31 Hang Dieu St, Hoan Kiem (200 m NW of lake), ☏ +84 24 3828-5777, [email protected]. Run by an Australian couple. Private en suite rooms and shared rooms. Air-con, cable TV. Fully informed and equipped travel service for all destinations in Vietnam. Friendly English speaking staff. Free beer and spring rolls on Thursday nights. Laundry service. Good music in cafe. Free Internet PCs and free Wi-Fi in rooms. (updated Dec 2018) My Youth Hostel (formerly Hanoi Youth Hostel), 5 Luong Ngoc Quyen, Hoan Kiem, ☏ +84 971 608 966. 17 rooms and dormitory with city view, air-con, satellite TV, telephone, minibar, en suite bath with tub and shower. Relaxation room on the 1st floor complete with a pool table, a dart board and a librar

Go next

If you are the adventurous type or simply bored temporarily of the city atmosphere, then consider a circuit through the northern countryside. A round trip will take you to a lot of charming villages and through hills and valleys with charming views. Main roads are generally in good condition and you can easily do a couple of hundred kilometers a day. The villages and provinces are generally safe at night, and you get to see a lot of Vietnamese culture such as various tribespeople. While bus services are available (albeit not always reliable), a recommended alternative is to rent a bike or car and make the trip on your own. Motorbikes in decent quality can be rented and many places have suggestions for routes.

Ha Long Bay's spectacular ocean karst topography is the most popular side-trip from Hanoi. The Sapa mountain region close to the Chinese border, home to ethnic minorities, gorgeous mountain scenery, and trekking paths connecting many tiny mountain villages, is the second-most popular trip. 320 km northwest from the capital, Sapa is accessible by direct private bus services from Hanoi, which now only takes 5h30 thanks to excellent new highways; or by 8-hour train journey from Hanoi Station to Lao Cai, then onward by minibus or hired motorbike.

Perfume Pagoda (can be reached by public transport (bus); tours are available anywhere in Hanoi). An ancient Buddhist pilgrimage site about 60 km southwest of Hanoi. A full-day excursion that involves a boat trip to the main site, where you will hike (30-45 min) or take a cable car up a mountain. Near the top is a large limestone cave containing Buddhist shrines and statues. There are various other temples and grottoes along the way. Bat Trang, a village famous for its pottery, 9 km southeast of Hanoi. It is accessible by taking Bus 47, which originates at Long Bien. Just hop on (the bus will be clearly labelled with the number 47 and the text "Long Bien - Bat Trang". Take it to the last stop, which is directly opposite the pottery market (haggle for lower prices, and insist on paying in dong). Head back up the street to the factories to the products being made. Cao Bang, featuring the beautiful Ban Gioc Waterfall, is five hours away by bus, near the Chinese border. Cuc Phuong National Park, is the largest national park in Vietnam and an easy day-trip from Hanoi. Co Loa is the oldest ancient capital in the region; a little-visited site slightly northeast of Hanoi. Tam Coc/Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh Province, is a day trip is combining heritage tourism and natural landscape tourism. Hoa Lu is the site of the first